Shadow Work

by Cynthia Tyler

Leaving Las Vegas takes on a whole new meaning when you exit in a coffin and the secrets that the town promises to keep safe follow the body home. And what if you're a gay woman quietly enjoying your... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560236221
• ISBN13: 9781560236221
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Harrington Park Press
• Length: 191 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

LA Flavored, Lesbian "Crash"

Shadow Work breaks out of the self-conscious, claustrophobic boundaries of the genre in its exploration of characters' inner landscapes, relationships, the workplace, and the world at large. I particularly like the agency setting where Chris Cameron deals with daily craziness, and I don't mean her clients. It has been said that there is a dearth of writing about the work setting, where we spend a good chunk of our lives. Most novels timidly touch on it. Shadow Work takes it on expertly and with humor. Tyler is one of my new favorites because her affection for her characters and her passion about contemporary issues shine in her unique minimalist style. No tiresome filler here. This is a thought-provoking, entirely enjoyable, sensual, and intelligent story with characters I hope to encounter again.

Real Lesbian. Real Entertaining.

If you like your protagonist rich, perfect, employed in a fantasy profession, never reflective on the meaning of life, and involved in endless sex scenes, move on. Shadow Work is not another retelling of the endless summer romance were everyone lives happily ever after and never worries about bills or bad hair cuts. Shadow work is Reality Reading for those who like to mix an entertaining escape with, well, reality. Tyler's writing style is reminiscent of the classic detective novel. She makes you think. Shadow Work is a first person narrative; the main character sounds tough, assured, and sometimes sarcastic, especially when she's pronouncing judgment on the latest social break down. She is ethical, in her own life and in her chosen field of psychotherapy, and she moves through a noir landscape of psychological intrigue. For literature snobs, some of these traits may be off-putting, especially if one is looking for the queer equivalent of The English Patient. But this is a fine book and I hope that is not the case. There is an exciting element to Shadow Work, one I don't really see much in the lesbian genre and it is the underlying theme of spirituality. Not the variety that drags one into a church or synagogue or mosque or revival tent. Chris is not an automatic believer in the Big White Man in the sky. Cameron's seeking is the brand of personal spirituality that asks, "What is the meaning of life?" How can I be a better healer?" "What forces hold me back?" How can I be healed?" She is looking for a direct experience of the Sacred. Her first level of knowledge is psychology. Now she is finding a more evolved understanding and it's happening in the Mojave Desert with the assistance of a Deathwalker who is assisting Chris in taking on the role of Wounded Healer, whether she recognizes it or not. Chris continues to walk through her initiations and wastes no time applying new knowledge to her life. As Chris walks this path, Tyler uses Jung's concept of the shadow (Evangelical Christians might refer to shadow as the devil) to reflect the need for spiritual healing both in her characters and in America as a nation Oh. The book and characters are also sexy, some are quite funny. There is some sex. More would not have been wasted on this reader. It is sex of the tasteful variety that fits the story, so good for Tyler. This is not a "how to" manual disguised as romance. Chris Cameron is just not the kind of person who defines herself by her Rolodex and her `scores'. That said, she is a sexual being and feels no need to repent on Sunday for sex on Saturday. Tyler has a superb ear for sound which makes the dialogue real. Likewise the rhythm of the words and texture of scenes are a pleasure to read and carry one from beginning to end like a fine symphony. Characters: Chris Cameron. She is smart, compassionate, emotionally vulnerable, and finally overcoming her widowhood via murder by falling deeper in love with a woman in a high risk profession: